Not So Normal
by midgetmania
Summary: 17 year-old Emily is going on a trip to the middle east, but when terrorists take over her plane and it crashes she is forced to live in their hideout. Her luck changes, however, when she meets the famous Tony Stark.
1. Where am I?

It's hard to describe everything that happened last summer. Sure, things are almost back to normal and I'm a senior in high school now, but I'm a changed girl. After school I'll be going back to California which is, in itself, not a normal thing for me. Then again, nothing about last summer was normal. But I'm getting ahead of myself; I should start from the beginning. The whole thing started when I entered a poetry contest online to win a trip to the Middle East. I wasn't really too hopeful for winning since I didn't think my poem was even that good, I just wanted to go out on a limb and take a crazy chance. It was a complete surprise when I got a letter in the mail that said I was one of fifteen other winners.

My mom was ecstatic about my winning the trip. She wanted to plan everything I would do there, but I had to stop her; I prefer to just go and figure out what I want to do when I get to where I'm going without any hassles or silly deadlines. The weeks before the trip passed in a blur. Sometimes the days seemed to go by quickly, and other times they were agonizingly slow. Then the day of the trip arrived, and I felt extremely small and scared to go off into a completely different country all by myself. The plane taking me was very small, and that made it that much worse. My mom cried a lot when I got on the plane, and I even saw my dad shed a little tear. That was the last I saw of my parents.

The first half of the flight was uneventful. There was some turbulence, but it was light enough that I could sleep through it. It was during the second half of the flight when disaster struck. We were almost to our destination when terrorists aboard the plane decided to take over. Several people were brave enough to try and stop them, but even though they succeeded, the pilot and the copilot were killed in the process. The terrorists had lost the plane to us, but we lost the plane to the desert below us. I didn't remember the crash for a long while; I just remembered the plane plummeting swiftly to the ground before passing out, and then waking up long afterward in a dimly lit cave.

When I woke up I was alone and I was in a lot of pain; I felt as if I'd been thrown around like a rag doll in a metal box. I had bumps and bruises everywhere, and I felt a stabbing pain whenever I made even the slightest movement. Then I heard a metal door opening, and light flooded my small room causing me to shut my eyes against the sudden brightness. I heard people speaking in a language that wasn't English, and I instantly recognized it as the language the terrorists on the plane had used. I dimly recalled from somewhere that it was called Arabic.

I felt someone checking my arms and sides for broken bones, and I groaned. This stopped the talking, and everything grew instantly quiet. I opened my eyes to see a bald, middle eastern man with two guards behind him. Baldy was looking at me with an amused expression on his face. He said something to me in Arabic, but when I didn't respond he switched to a heavily accented English; much to my surprise.

"You are a very lucky girl to have survived that crash. No one else made it" he said. I tried to say something, but my throat was raw and sore and I could barely swallow.

"You won't be able to talk for a while yet, so if you can understand me just nod" Baldy said. I nodded, then groaned as a searing pain shot down my back. _What the heck happened? _I thought.

"Don't be so enthusiastic; you could hurt yourself worse than you already are, and we don't want that, do we? I well get our other prisoner to patch you up, so you'll be feeling better in no time" Baldy said. I gave a feeble nod, then felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me. My eyes drooped shut, and I was plunged in darkness once again. When I woke up I felt marginally better, and I was in a different room.

"I hope you are feeling better. I did the best I could, but that gash on your back was very deep. You are lucky none of your organs were injured" someone said. It wasn't Baldy, I could tell by his voice, but I couldn't see where he was. After a minute of struggling I found my voice.

"Who are you? Where am I?" I asked in a hoarse voice.

"My name is Yinsen, and we are in Afghanistan" the speaker replied, finally coming into view. He was an older Middle Eastern man with sparse, graying hair, and he wore glasses. I instantly liked him and smiled as best I could.

"My name is Emily, nice to meet you Yinsen" I said. Yinsen smiled and nodded, then sat down on a cot beside me that I hadn't noticed before. I sat up in my own cot slowly, wincing against the pain in my back.

"You shouldn't strain yourself, Emily. You need to rest and heal if you want to be strong again" Yinsen commented.

"I feel fine; it's just my back that hurts. I don't remember much about the plane crash though. Did I hit my head?" I said.

"Yes, you have a nasty bruise on the back of your head; I'm not surprised that you can't remember the crash" Yinsen said. I managed a small chuckle, and then felt weariness envelope me again. I was weaker than I had let on, I knew that, but I never realized I would be so tired. _It would be nice if this was just a bad dream_, I thought, yawning. Then I fell into darkness once again. I don't know how long I slept, but when I woke there was another voice with Yinsen's, and it wasn't Baldy. My eyes fluttered open, and I found myself face-to-face with a complete stranger. I cried out in surprise and jerked away, falling off my cot and onto the floor in the process. The fall jarred my back, and I had to kneel on the floor as still as I could until the pain subsided.

"You alright?" the man asked, frowning. I nodded, taking a deep breath to calm my racing heart. The man was American, and he looked like he was in his early forties. His hair was black and messy, and he had a short, unkempt beard on his chin. What he wore wasn't strange, except for the fact that under his simple, white, sleeveless undershirt there was a circular, bluish glow shining through it, and I couldn't keep myself from staring.

"Is something wrong?" the man asked, still frowning. I shook my head, then turned to Yinsen.

"How long was I out?" I asked.

"Three days. Mr. Stark here arrived shortly before you did, but he was being held in a different room. You look a little better, but you need to eat something. you had us both worried" Yinsen replied. I frowned.

"Stark, as in Tony Stark; the biggest weapons manufacturer in the U.S.?" I asked. Yinsen smiled.

"Yes, Tony Stark" he replied. I yawned and got up off the floor to sit on my cot, stretching.

"What do we have to eat?" I asked. Yinsen didn't reply, but handed me a plate with something that looked like noodles of some sort on it. I took the plate, frowned at the food, but then sighed and decided I'd rather eat weird food than be hungry. It smelled quite good, and then I realized how hungry I was and wolfed it down. I noticed Mr. Stark staring at me when I was finished, and I frowned at him.

"What's that blue light?" I asked suddenly.

"Do you know about my arc reactor?" Mr. Stark asked, crossing his arms. I nodded.

"I read about it somewhere, can't remember where though" I said.

"Well, this is sort of like a miniature arc reactor. It's the only thing keeping the shrapnel in my body from piercing my heart and killing me" he replied.

"I thought the arc reactor couldn't be put to practical use; I thought you just built to satisfy the hippies or something like that" I said. Stark grinned.

"Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it" he said. I made a face.

"None of that thank you; I hear it enough from my parents" I said. Stark just chuckled, and Yinsen merely smiled at me. I smiled back at Stark and held out my hand.

"I'm Emily, it's nice to meet you Mr. Stark" I said. Stark grimaced.

"You don't have to put the mister on; we're all friends here I hope" he said, shaking my hand. I giggled.

"Sure thing. Can I call you by your first name?" I said. Stark nodded.

"Thanks, Tony. I hope we're all friends here as well. We're all in the same boat, so we might as well get along" I said, grinning. Stark smiled back and nodded.

--

A/N: I know this chapter is a little long, but I just couldn't find a good place to stop. Anyway, I hope you all liked it, and if you did please use the lovely purple box at the bottom of the page to tell me what you thought. Thanks!

Cheers!

•midgetmania•


	2. This girl is insane

A/N: This chapter will be from Stark's perspective, but not in first-person point of view. The next chapter will be from Emily's perspective. I'll keep going in this Emily-Stark-Emily-Stark pattern unless, of course, I get a really good idea that takes longer than one chapter and won't work if I switch to the other character. Also, Stark will be referred to as 'Stark' in the chapters from Emily's perspective, and he will be 'Tony' in the ones from his own perspective. I thought switching it up like this would make it more interesting; I can only hope it works. Enjoy!

--

Several weeks passed and Tony was satisfied with the progress they were making on his latest endeavor. Yinsen knew of his escape plan now, but the girl did not. Tony wasn't sure why he hadn't told her yet. So far she had proved to be a very helpful assistant, and had even shared much of her life with him. They were far from strangers now and Tony cared about her a great deal, but he'd never been one to open up and share things about himself to people. Emily never pried or asked about his past, but Tony knew she wondered sometimes.

By now he could accurately tell what she was thinking by her facial expressions. He could tell exactly when she was debating whether she should ask him about what he was building or not, but her respectful, shy nature always won and she wouldn't ask him anything. There were times when Tony wished she would just get it over with and ask him her questions, but her insecurities always kept her from doing so. Tony was greatly relieved when she finally got up the nerve to approach him with one of the many questions swirling in her head.

"I don't want you to think I'm annoying, but you and Yinsen seem to know what's going on while I still have no idea. Am I still alive because they're keeping me as a hostage?" she asked. Tony didn't know how to answer her.

"I'm not really sure why you're still alive; your guess is as good as mine. Maybe they think I'll be more likely to do what they say if they threaten a kid. I don't know what our captors are thinking any more than they know what we're thinking. You're just a kid and I have no reason to not trust you, so I would tell you if I knew, but I don't" he replied. The girl's expression remained worried, but she nodded anyway.

"Hey, cheer up. I'll put you in the corner by yourself if you don't snap out of it" Tony said, grinning at her.

"You can't put me in the corner; I'm 17" she said, but Tony could see the faint makings of a smile on her face.

"Really now, is that so?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"You're not my dad; you can't tell me what to do" Emily replied. Tony put on a thoughtful expression.

"That's all fine and swell, but I was under the impression that I was your elder. Have you suddenly aged thirty years without anyone's knowledge?" he said. Emily stuck her tongue out at him to hide the grin on her face, then quickly walked away. Tony smirked. Yinsen, who had been listening to them, frowned.

"I hope you are not thinking what I think you're thinking" he said.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Tony asked. Yinsen merely gave him a grave look and Tony chuckled.

"For heaven's sake, Yinsen, she's just a kid" he said.

"I know you guys are talking about me!" Emily called suddenly from the other side of the room.

"Yeah, we're discussing all your annoying habits" Tony called back.

"Very funny, Mr. Stark" Emily said, grinning at him from across the room.

"Great, now I'm going to develop an inferiority complex because you're making me feel old" Tony said.

"Then you should be grateful for the improvement to your personality, Mr. Stark. Nobody likes self-righteous, egotistical, bungholes" Emily replied. Tony frowned.

"I don't believe I heard you right young lady; did you just call me a bunghole?" he said.

"Turn up your hearing aid, old man" Emily said.

"That's 'very' mature."

"Who said I was trying to be mature?"

"I didn't."

"You insinuated that I was trying to be mature and failed."

"I was merely insinuating that a person your age should be more mature, but every family 'does' have a black sheep."

"I'm a purple cow."

"What?"

"I'm a polka-dotted opossum."

"What?!"

"Good-bye Satan, hello Shamu!"

"Now you're just being silly."

"No, I'm being random. There's a big difference between random and silly. Randomness equals craziness, which equals spaztasticness, which equals the wonder that is my hyperactive, 17 year-old mind."

"Would you both stop already?" Yinsen asked suddenly, interrupting them. Emily took one look at Yinsen's annoyed face, and started laughing so hard she had to sit down. Yinsen rubbed his forehead and groaned. Tony wasn't sure what to think now. Sure, the girl had been friendly and had shared her thoughts with him, but he'd never really had a chance to see her personality. He could use only on word to describe her; this girl was insane. The thought brought an amused smirk to Tony's face.

"I'm sorry," Emily said when she stopped laughing. "I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but the look on Yinsen's face was classic." Yinsen shook his head.

"It is alright. I just have a headache and you two weren't helping any" he said. Tony went back to his work shaking his head, and Emily sat down on her cot and watched him. Tony knew she missed her family quite a bit because of how much she talked about them, but he didn't understand why she'd been so friendly from the start. She had a good excuse to be angry and rude to everyone because of what she'd been through. If Tony had been his old selfish self that's what he would have done, and he knew it. Yet this girl was as friendly as could be.

"Alright, Tony, what's up? You've been staring at the same spot on the wall for, like, five minutes" Emily said suddenly.

"You know, I could say something like the ceiling, but I guess this time I'll give you a straight answer. I'm trying to figure you out" Tony replied.

"Am I that confusing?" Emily asked, grinning.

"Most people would be rude and hateful if they were in your position, and had been through what you've been through. You, on the other hand, are simply acting in a completely unexpected way" Tony replied.

"Just because I'm in a bad situation doesn't mean I have the right to act in a negative way. Acting negative will only make the situation that much worse; that's why I'm not beside myself with self-pity" Emily said. Tony was slightly surprised by her answer, but didn't show it. Tony shook his head and chuckled, but then his smile faded as the door to their cell was opened roughly.

"Do what I do, and don't say a word unless you are spoken to directly" Tony whispered quickly as he clasped his hands behind his head. Emily quickly did the same and let her gaze fall to the floor as she caught sight of the leader. He had more guards than usual with him, at least four, and Tony saw the nervousness on the girl's face. Then the guards leveled their weapons at the defenseless trio.

"You seem to be recovering well, little girl" the leader said.

"Do you have any idea who I am?" he asked. Emily shook her head.

"My name is Raza, and I am in charge of this facility. Can you tell me what these men are building for me?" he asked. Emily shrugged.

"Are you mute, little girl? Are you not going to answer me?" Raza asked, anger in his voice. Tony heard her mumble something, but he couldn't make out what she said. Raza knelt in front of her and cupped a hand to his ear.

"I didn't hear you" he said.

"I . . . I think they're building some sort of weapon" Emily finally said in a small voice. Raza stood up and paced in front of the girl. _Please don't kill her_, Tony thought. _She's just a kid; she's too young to die_. Raza stopped suddenly in his pacing.

"I have some information I think you will be interested in. Do you want to know what it is about?" he said. Emily nodded.

"Sure" she said quietly.

"I have conveniently discovered the identity of your father, an identity which I also discovered was previously unknown" Raza continued. Emily suddenly looked up at him in surprise.

"You want to know who he is?" Raza asked.

"Yes, sir" Emily replied, letting her gaze fall back to the floor.

"Well, he conveniently happens to be in this facility. That is quite a coincidence, no?" Raza said.

"That's quite a lucky coincidence" Emily said. Raza turned to his guards and said something in rapid Arabic which caused the guards to laugh.

"They agree that I should tell you because you'll both be dead soon anyway if your father does not do what I want" he said. Emily said nothing, nor did she react in any way; keeping her face in a stony mask of indifference. Tony knew she was afraid though. Raza smirked.

"So, I will tell you. Your father is . . ."

--

A/N: Sorry, I know you all want to know, but that's the fun in giving people a cliffhanger ending! You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out.

TTFN!

•midetmania•


	3. Just A Dream

"So, I will tell you. Your father is . . ." Raza began, pausing for a breath and smirking at me. I was sure that everyone knew I was hanging on to his every word, but I didn't care. Back home I had a mother and a father, but they were just my adoptive parents. My biological mother had never told me who my father was, and I desperately wanted to know. I _needed_ to know who he was; if not so I could seek him out and get to know him, but maybe just for confirmation so I wasn't left wondering my entire life. It didn't matter how Raza had found out as long as what he told me was true.

"Tony Stark." he finished. A dead silence followed his words, and the moment seemed frozen in time. I couldn't say anything, and even if I'd had something to say my voice would not have worked properly anyway. I suddenly felt dizzy and realized I'd been holding my breath, and inhaled sharply, shattering the silence like glass. Raza chuckled, and then he and his men left the room, leaving behind one answer, and a million more questions to go with it.

"Emily?" Yinsen asked gently, his brow furrowing with worry. I shook my head, trying to clear away the questions and insecurities. Stark had not moved, and was staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Do you think he might be lying?' I whispered, looking away from their scrutiny. Stark cleared his throat, and I heard him shuffle uncomfortably. I looked back at him; into his eyes. "Do you?" I asked. This time it was Stark's turn to look away. I waited for him to answer, but when he didn't I frowned and sat down on my cot with a sigh. Now that I'd learned the most important bit of information I could have ever wanted to learn, I didn't know what to do with it. _And how does Tony feel about this?_ I wondered. I stole a glance in his direction and saw that he was back at his work table; staring at a piece of paper in front of him which he must have dug out from the bottom of his pile.

Curious, I got up to see what he was looking at, and then stopped short when I saw what it was. His expression as he stared at the paper was distant and amused.

"I found this under a stack of papers I was done with. I was trying to find one of my older pages to look at a note I'd written to myself when I stumbled across this." he said, chuckling quietly to himself. I stayed silent. I knew exactly what he'd stumbled across. It was a little drawing I'd done that showed a little cartoon girl hugging a cartoon man. The cartoons were clearly me and Stark, of course, but above the drawing was a caption that said "A True Hero!" I'd been exceptionally bored the day I drew it and I hadn't really thought too hard about it, and stuck it under a stack of papers I thought Stark wouldn't look under.

I had hid it in the hopes that no one would find it; unable to bring myself to get rid of it completely. And here Stark had known about it. I felt mortified, and I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. Stark glanced in my direction, then looked away, shaking his head and grinning.

"Tony?" I asked.

"Did you mean it when you drew this? 'Cause even if you didn't this is quite a likeness of me." Stark said. This time his grin had laughter in it, and I turned even more red. "I've never had anyone write anything like that about me and, frankly, I find it exceedingly cute in a childish sort of way." he said, this time turning to me without looking away. I looked down at the floor and fiddled with the end of my shirt.

"I didn't think anyone would find it." I said quietly, giving a nervous laugh. I heard Stark sigh, and a few moments later he was standing in front of me with his arms crossed.

"There's no need to be ashamed, kid. If that's how you feel, that's how you feel." he said gently. I looked up with a cautious look on my face. _Is he saying what I think he's saying?_ I wondered. Stark uncrossed his arms and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"As soon as we get out of here I'll get to the bottom of this, I promise, but for now you need to take what he said with a grain of salt." he said. I nodded, but inside my heart was in turmoil. Then Stark went back to his work, putting my drawing off to the side, and I sat down on my cot. I was weary after the roller coaster of emotions, so I laid down. I was asleep within a few minutes.

That night I had a nightmare, and I woke in a fit of crying while someone tried to hold onto me. At first I thought it was some unseen enemy, but then the nightmare gradually faded away and I was back in the reality that was just as frightening as a nightmare. At first I couldn't fight the terror that still gripped my heart because of the already forgotten dream, but then I realized who was holding onto me when he spoke.

"Shh. Calm down, you're safe now. It's over." I didn't know who it was, but his words helped to calm my racing heart. I realized my eyes were still closed, and I opened them slowly, blinking against the fog still surrounding me. When I finally had my wits about me i looked to see who was holding me, and I was surprised to find that it was Stark.

"Are you alright now?" he asked, pushing my hair, damp with sweat, out of my face. I took a deep breath and nodded, afraid that my voice would betray how shaken I was. I was not shaken because the dream was particularly frightening; it was, I was just shaken because it was the first time I'd ever had a nightmare, _ever_. Stark didn't look convinced.

"Look, we know something has been bothering you. You're too young to be trapped in a hole like this for so long, and you have the added stress of worrying about how much your family is worrying about you. You're **not** alright." he said. I couldn't argue because I knew he was right, but I didn't want him or Yinsen to think I couldn't handle a mildly stressful situation.

"It was just a dream, Tony. I'm fine now." I said. Stark crossed his arms.

"We're going to get out of here soon; maybe in a few weeks. Yinsen and I will work even harder to get this project finished. You're not staying down here any longer than you have to. I don't care if you're really my daughter or not; I'm getting you out of here." Stark said. His jaw was rigidly set, and there was a determination in his brown eyes that surprised me. I managed a small smile and looked away.

"That really means a lot to me, Tony, thanks." I said.


	4. I need her

Tony was anxious. He knew it had been around three or four weeks since the conversation between Raza and Emily, and he was certain that their plan of escape would be ready in a day or so. He'd already explained much of his plan to the girl, but he hadn't exactly told her what her part in the plan would be. In truth, this was partly because he didn't know what to do about her. She was helpful, but, after all, she was just a kid and he'd rather not let her cause a distraction to buy time or anything dangerous like that.

Also, she would probably just get in the way during the preparation for their escape. Then there was the fact that he couldn't just take her with him when he left in his metal suit. She would have to stay behind until he could come back with help and get her. He had no idea how she would react to that news.

Tony was thinking about this problem as he tested the leg of the suit, making sure it would bend right when he bent his leg. That was when the door to their cell was thrown open, and Raza walked in with a group of guards. Tony and Yinsen assumed the hands-behind-the-head position, but then they realized that Emily was lying asleep on her cot and had not heard a thing.

"Wake her up." Raza ordered, looking not at Tony but at Yinsen instead. Yinsen complied, shaking the girl gently. She was still half asleep when she sat up and Yinsen pulled her to her feet, but was awake enough to recognize Raza and what his presence might mean. She put her hands behind her head, but stood looking at them in a dazed sort of way.

Tony ignored Raza, ready to steady her if she wobbled and started to fall. When his attention turned back to the bald man, he was speaking to Yinsen in Arabic. Beside him Emily stiffened; the only sign that Raza had frightened her. Tony realized that this fear in Raza only arose when he spoke in Arabic, which meant that her fear must be connected to what had happened to her on her plane before it crashed.

Raza was angry, that much was clear, but Tony had no idea what he was angry about. Then two of Raza's guards grabbed Yinsen by the shoulders and pushed him to his knees, laying his head side-ways on a cloth-covered rock. When Raza used a pair of tongs to grab a red-hot coal from the fire Tony used for welding, Emily cried out in shock and fear. She took a step forward, letting her hands fall to her sides, and Raza stood up in anger. He rattled off an order to one of his men, who then pulled Emily till she was standing in front of him.

"You picked the wrong day for an outburst, girl." Raza said. Tony saw her take a deep breath before she met Raza's gaze with a level stare. Raza seemed taken-aback, but then an amused expression crept onto his face.

"You're not afraid of me?" he asked her, intrigued by her unusual reaction to his threat.

"I'm afraid, but I'm not letting my fear gain control of me." Emily replied, her tone indifferent. Tony frowned. If she wasn't careful she could get herself in serious trouble; and that was the last thing they needed when they were so close to getting out of this God-forsaken hole.

"It seems you are smarter than I thought, but you are not getting away with that outburst. What do you think I should do?" Raza said. Emily didn't respond. Raza began to slowly pace the room as he thought.

"I could have your tongue burned out with a hot coal," he said, thinking out loud. Emily followed him with her eyes, frowning slightly.

"Why were you going to do that to Yinsen?" she asked quietly. Raza stopped and gave her an odd look.

"You would dare to question my authority?" he asked, venom lacing his words. Emily shook her head.

"I was just curious about what he'd done to earn that punishment." she replied.

"It's nothing that should worry a little girl; you would not understand even if I told you." Raza said, frowning, but no longer as angry as he had been before. Emily's expression did not change when he said that, but Tony would have bet that she was angry. Then Raza nodded to the guard holding her, and said something in Arabic. The guard began to pull her roughly toward the door, and Tony took a step toward her. Several guards shouted and trained their weapons on his head. Raza frowned at him.

"I need her." Tony said.

"What?" Raza asked.

"I need her; she's helpful." Tony said. Raza grew thoughtful.

"Somehow, I do not think that's why you want her to stay." He said. Tony didn't say anything else.

"You will have my missiles finished by tomorrow night, or all of you will die; starting with the girl. By tomorrow night." Raza said, and then he and his men left, taking Emily with them.


	5. Broken

A/N: Soooo very sorry for how long this update took, but it's been a very busy school year for me. Also, I rewrote the darn thing at least five times before I thought it was right. Still not completely satisfied with it, for that matter, but this is good enough. Anyway, read and enjoy, and don't forget about the lovely little review button at the bottom! ^_^

Also, I have a forum up so people can ask questions about my stories, find out when they'll be updated (and they will be), and get answers sooner. It'll be easier this way, and I won't have to check every review to see if people have questions.

* * *

As Raza and his guards led me away, my heart sank. I didn't see how I could escape if I was separated from Stark, and the thought of being left here without him and Yinsen frightened me.

We went down several stone hallways, and turned many corners before we stopped in front of a metal door much like the one to the cell I'd shared with Stark and Yinsen. One of the guards opened the door, which made a screechy, grating sound against the stone floor, and Raza turned to me.

"You will stay in this room until I think you have learned your lesson. My only advice for you now, is to hope your father does what has been asked of him, or you will never see the light of the sun again," he said, and then the guards shoved me roughly into the room and closed the door, locking it with a heavy, metal clang. With a sigh, I got up off the floor where I'd landed, and looked around the room.

There were two dim, yellowed lights hanging from the ceiling, and one of them flickered every few seconds. There was a single cot off to the side, and a pillow and blanket rested on it. The majority of the left side of the room was taken up by stacks of boxes. All-in-all, the room wasn't very big, but it wasn't so small as to be uncomfortable. I knew it would be difficult being by myself, but I could survive.

I sat down on the cot with my legs crossed, and looked around the room again. As I looked, I realized that something was missing. There were no cameras in this room, which meant that unless someone came up to the door, opened it, and looked inside, no one could see what I did. The knowledge brought a small smile to my face. Knowing I wasn't going to be watched every minute of the day made being alone easier to handle. My only problem was that, now, I had nothing to occupy my mind. That bothered me a great deal. Without something to keep me occupied and my mind off of things, I would have too much time to think about everything that had been bothering me.

Already, thoughts of my family, of all the friends and people at school who would be worrying about me, had filled my head. Then there was Stark. There was a yearning in my heart to know the truth. It was an aching desperation, an unyielding need, to know if he was truly my father. If I was left here, I might never learn the truth.

I didn't realize I was crying until I felt a wetness on my hands, which were balled tightly into fists on my lap. I could not stop the silent tears that coursed down my cheeks, and for once I was glad for my solitude. I didn't want Stark to see me like I was, didn't want him to see me hurting. It was better that he didn't know, because then he didn't have anything extra to worry about.

The jarring, grating sound of the door being opened interrupted my thoughts. I looked up to see Raza holding a tray of food, which he set down on the floor in front of my cot. I said nothing as he watched me.

"It is very late; you should get some sleep," he said, and then he left. I ate the food slowly, not really tasting any of it. When I was done, I just sat on my cot as I had before. There was no way I could sleep when I was worried about when I would get out of here. The hours dragged by, but, still, I sat in the silence. Either I was tired after all and just didn't realize it, or I was in shock. I felt nothing in the quiet. No sadness, no worry, and no hurt. With a quiet sigh, I closed my eyes. I didn't bother to lay down or get comfortable; at this point, comfort did not matter. Somehow, I fell asleep, but only realized it when someone was roughly shaking me awake. I blinked away my sleep, and found myself looking at Raza's angry face.

"Get up. Now," he snapped. I stumbled off my cot and blinked at Raza in confusion. _Why is he so angry? _I wondered, _I haven't done anything. _Raza simply stood in front of me, scowling. He barked an order to one of his men, who then grabbed my arm and led me roughly out of the room. Raza followed behind us, silent, and I suddenly grew afraid. Finally we stopped in a small room with TV's set up, one of which showed the room that Stark and Yinsen were in. A cold fear settled in my stomach when I saw it.

"Where is he?" Raza asked suddenly. I flinched.

"I don't know. I haven't been in there, have I?" I replied, realizing too late that my words would only anger Raza more. I felt a strong blow connect with the side of my head, and fell to the floor, my cheek stinging in pain. Raza pulled me to my feet, then hit me again. I bit my lip, fighting back tears, and tasted blood in my mouth.

"Send four men down to their room and find out where Stark is," Raza yelled to one of his men. I heard someone hurrying off while I stared at the floor, and started trembling. I couldn't look at Raza when he spoke to me again.

"Do I need to teach you respect, or have you learned your lesson?" he asked.

"I think I've learned my lesson, sir," I replied quietly, my voice wavering. Another stinging slap met my cheek, and this time I couldn't hod back my tears.

"You _think_? _Thinking_ isn't good enough. Now, I'm going to ask you again, have you learned your lesson?" Raza said.

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, _what_?"

"Yes, I've learned my lesson."

Then, suddenly, the lights went out in the room, along with the TV screens. Raza swore in Arabic, then yanked me out of the room with him. He shouted orders to his men as we hurried down the passage, finally emerging in a large, open cavern where light streamed in from an opening at its other end. Raza stopped, and then we turned around so that we were facing the passage we'd just come out of. A large collection of Raza's men stood in front of us, forming a half-circle and training their guns on the entrance to the passage.

My whole body trembled with fear, though Raza seemed to have forgotten me. The cavern grew deathly silent, and I could hear far-off gunshots and someone yelling. Half a minute passed as the yelling and gunshots drew closer, and then Yinsen appeared from the passageway. Sudden terror gripped me, and I couldn't keep myself from calling out.

"Yinsen, no!" I yelled. Raza twisted my arm sharply and I heard something snap, and, at the same time, a burning pain shot through my arm. An involuntary scream escaped my throat, and Raza let go of me so that I fell to the ground in agony. My arm was on fire, and tears of pain blurred my vision. I could not see what happened next, but I heard gunshots and then Yinsen's own cry of pain, and shock filled me. _He's okay_, I told myself, _they can't have killed him_. I prayed silently, but my hope was empty. I didn't believe my own reassurances, I was trying to convince myself of something I knew, from the core of my being, was false. A fresh torrent of sorrow coursed through me, adding fuel to the burning pillar that was my arm.

My vision cleared when no more tears came, but I could not bring myself to look up from the floor. I was too afraid of what I might see, too faint-hearted to face the cruelly harsh reality of death. It seemed like I'd known Yinsen for so long, yet hardly any time had passed at all. And now, if he was truly dead, I was terrified that I would lose myself in grief if I saw his body cold and lifeless, a pool of sickeningly red blood seeping out form beneath him.

I pushed the sudden image from my mind, shaking my head. The movement sent a dizzying wave of pain through my arm, and I had to resist the urge to throw up. I was hardly aware of anything around me now. I dimly registered that rocks had suddenly fallen from the ceiling and Raza was sprawled on the ground beside me, but then everything faded into black nothingness.


End file.
